5. Doug Dickinson

Then: Doug Dickinson of Newport News High School triple jumps to a state record of 48-6 3/4 in 1969.

Then: Doug Dickinson of Newport News High School triple jumps to a state record of 48-6 3/4 in 1969. (DAILY PRESS photo)

MARTY O'BRIEN247-4963

Doug Dickinson, the greatest athlete in the history of the storied Newport News High track and field program, really wanted to be a Hampton Crabber. His dream was to compete at Hampton with his buddies from their neighborhood near Shell Road.

Had the principal at Hampton High let Dickinson compete for the Crabbers while he was a freshman at Thorpe Junior High in 1965-66 - perfectly within the rules - Hampton may have rivaled Newport News as a track powerhouse.

When the principal refused the request, however, Dickinson knew he'd have to go elsewhere. Competing on the junior high level was no longer an option for Dickinson, who already held national age group records and was beating local collegians in summer meets.

The next day, Shirley Dickinson, a former Newport News track star, paid his son's tuition for entrance to Newport News, which included grades 8-12. Ironically, Dickinson received a hostile welcome there.

His first day at Newport News, Dickinson absent-mindedly walked across the floor of brand new Julie Conn Gymnasium in street shoes. Conn, who knew of Dickinson by reputation but not by face, went ballistic.

The love affair would continue for the next four years. Dickinson justified his decision to bypass junior high sports by winning the long jump at the Group AAA indoor state meet as a freshman.

That gold medal was the first of 20 for Dickinson on the state level: 13 indoor and seven outdoor. He won eight golds in the hurdles, six in the long jump, five in the triple jump and one on the 800-meter relay.

"Doug Dickinson was the greatest track and field athlete in the state of Virginia in the 20th century," said Charlie Nuttycombe, who co-coached the Typhoon with Conn.

The Typhoon won six consecutive state indoor and outdoor state titles in Dickinson's sophomore to senior years. In his final meet at Newport News, he broke five state outdoor meet records - in winning four golds and a silver - to lead the Typhoon to its 26th, and final, state title.

The performance was redemption for his state meet performance a year earlier, when he failed to win an event. The Typhoon won anyway.

"The '68 state meet taught me that no one was bigger than the program," he said. "Being a part of the program was an honor. We had two of the best coaches in the country in Julie Conn and Charlie Nuttycombe.

"Their practices were unbelievably competitive and we looked forward to them more than the meets. The coaches kept practice records for everything, like bound drills, and we competed for those records against the ghosts and legends of the Newport News tradition. Your teammates were your brothers. If you were part of the program, they treated you with love and respect."

A near-fatal blood disease he battled off and on for a decade derailed Dickinson's college career at Penn State. Following college he coached track for seven years, three at Christopher Newport University. These days, he's a chef.

"I'm a better chef than I ever was an athlete or coach," he said. "I'm as detached from sports as anyone you could imagine, because I've never been a good spectator. But there's been a tremendous carryover. I organize my kitchen staff the way I'd organize an athletic team."

Dickinson said he might consider a return to coaching. Even if he doesn't need sports anymore, he realizes young athletes need role models like the ones he and his buddies benefited from while growing up.

"What a great time," he said. "What a safe and innocent time. We all had people to look up to and emulate parents, big brothers, neighbors and coaches. A lot of kids don't have that today."